PhysX Revolution To Begin Anew With UT3 Engine?

It's been a while since we looked at AGEIA's PPU, and things have slowly started looking better and better for PhysX as time rolled on. Perhaps the largest boon to the whole PPU concept thus far might be Epic's support for AGEIA's APEX (Adaptive Physics EXtensions) in their Unreal Tournament 3 Engine, which will likely end up at the heart of many upcoming titles.

It seems that APEX powered UT3 levels, originally slated to see the light of day in early 2008, are coming home for the holidays!

“To showcase the power of the PhysX UT3 Mod-Kit and the PhysX processor, AGEIA Technologies is rolling out a series of Extreme PhysX Mod Levels for UT3 available as a free download starting today. The first set of PhysX mods includes the "Tornado" and "LightHouse" levels. The AGEIA Tornado PhysX Mod, which was first revealed at the Leipzig Games Conference earlier this year, features incredible physical realism and revolutionary new environmental impact powered by the PhysX processor. This completely new CTF map is named for the PhysX-powered tornado which tears the battlefield apart as the game progresses. In addition, the tornado actually lures rockets and projectile weapons into its vortex, if fired too close, presenting both dynamic risk and reward to daring players. Complementing Tornado is a new PhysX mod called LightHouse, which introduces an ominous, dungeon-like structure with myriad levels and hidden corridors, featuring a variety of destructible walls, floors and ceilings and new weaponry. Additional maps and mods showcasing other types of PhysX implementations and level morphs will be available soon as part of this ongoing AGEIA Mod-Kit program. The Mods will continue to offer compelling game-play scenarios as well as provide examples of AGEIA PhysX use encouraging modders to produce their own PhysX-driven experiences.”

We love it when good games and innovative technology come together. We'll keep an eye out on AGEIA, this could be the start of the revolution they promised 2 years ago.